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Too many Kinngs, No
Singh
Jagmohan Singh
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 Jagmohan
Singh writes an open letter to the producer of Singh is Kinng
and expresses dismay at the poor sense of costume and
characterisation in the movie comparing it with the
Hollywood
movie, Evan Almighty.
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 Dear
Vipul Shah:
Greetings from the homeland of the Sikhs –the
Punjab.
According to media reports, Akshay Kumar and Anees Bazmee
presented the script of the movie, Singh is Kinng to you and you all
agreed “over the phone in less than two minutes.” Well, so says the
report. To me it sums up the Bollywood pattern and style of
hollowness, ficklemindedness and lack of preparedness in picking up
themes and executing them.
There is no doubt that creativity needs a spark and perhaps
the ‘muslim friend of the Sikhs’ -Bazmee provided you with one. It
is interesting that the ‘sherdill’ character of a Sikh was a unique
thought and the omnipresent slogan behind Sikh-owned trucks, “Singh
is Kinng” inspired Akshay Kumar to name the movie accordingly.
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Your Happy
Singh will make many Sikhs sad. It is true that ‘hasna Sikhan
di shaan hai”, but the Indian film industry, of late has
inflicted a lot of injury and stress to Sikhs. |
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Have you seen the
Hollywood movie, Evan Almighty ? I have had the chance to see
the environment-friendly movie which sadly did not do well at the
box office. I was quiet pleased with the character of Congressman
Evan Baxter, played by lead actor, Steve Carell and his attire.
This 2007 comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac, as a sequel to Bruce
Almighty, was made at a cost of 200 million dollars.
Since the hero had awoved in his electoral campaign, to
“change the world”, he was asked by God –played by Morgan Freeman to
build an Ark
if he wanted to fulfil his promise.
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Evan Almighty |
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I mention the movie as it had more than the “Mughal-e-Azam”
kind of planning. I will focus on only one aspect of the
meticulousness of the team making the movie. According to observers,
“Evan's costume was created after thorough research of the clothing
at the time of Noah. To create Evan's beard and long hair, three
designers spent three hours each day adding individual hairs using
prosthetic adhesive and making him wear custom wigs, which consisted
of both human and yak hair. For his costumes, designers spoke with
textile experts, researched historical costume information on the
clothing at the time of Noah, and used aged fibers in the
clothing.” To view the effect of this kind of eye for detail, I
invite you to carefully study the photograph given with this letter
of the main character –Evan Baxter.
I am not mentioning here the extensive research and planning
that underwent in various other departments of the movie as that is
not the subject of this note.
 Nearer
home, we have the case of Shashi Kapoor’s son Kunal Kapoor who
played the role of Angad Singh in the film Vijeta. He kept a beard
for months before beginning the shoot.
Compare this with the face of Akshay Kumar, his ready-made
dangling turban which is bound to render pain to Sikhs and some
others who hold Sikhs dear to their heart. This Happy Singh will
make many Sikhs sad. It is true that ‘hasna Sikhan di shaan hai” as
your song goes, but the Indian film industry, of late has inflicted
a lot of injury and stress to Sikhs.
I acknowledge that when approached by Sikh organisations of
Mumbai, you did what was required by the Sikhs; reshot and edited
some portions of the movie. You were graceful enough to accept your
mistake, so was the lead actor and others attached to the project.
You destroyed tonnes of publicity material at the request of Sikh
organisations and that is commendable, to say the least.
It is a little comforting that as a face-saving and salvaging
afterthought action, the lead actor, Akshay Kumar sports unshorn
hair at the end of the movie and regrets his apostate form in the
movie.
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When the
movie glorifies Sikhs in the midst of semi-clad women, it
trivialises the whole history and character of the Sikhs.
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You will agree with me that this time around you may escape
the anger of the Sikhs only in a spirit of accomodation and not in
the manner of setting a precedent, but it is important to mention
what some of those who previewed the movie did tell you. They said
that "the film industry must ensure that the picturisation of a Sikh
character and the use of Gurbani should be dealt with at the script
level. At this stage, all changes that have been brought about in
this movie, were only a damage-control exercise." The
producer/director of movies should familiarise with Sikh affairs and
interact with Sikh organisations to avoid “regrettable mistakes.”
 Alongside
Sikh groups and individuals, I would be writing to Bunty Walia, the
producer of the proposed movie, 21 -Battle of Saragarhi –from Ashes
to Glory, to ensure that the main character of Havildar Ishar Singh
is depicted by Sanjay Dutt in as exemplary a manner as the character
deserves. I propose to open dialogue with the Saragarhi movie team
including Sanjay Dutt, at the initial stages so that energies of the
Sikh world are not wasted handling the consequences of malicious
portrayal through neglect or otherwise.
Oddly, as if one was not enough, now we have two Kinngs
wearing the turban. The Los Angeles-based Snoop Dogg - real name
Calvin Broadus - teamed up with Bollywood star Akshay Kumar for the
video for the song Singh is Kinng. Shot on locations in
Chicago, the two
actors seemingly enjoyed the shoot and their Sikh characterisation.
Perhaps the
Hollywood singer did not know that like the Bollywood actor Akshay
Kumar and you, he too would come in for severe criticism for
indulging in imitating and lampooning the Sikh image in the new
music video album.
According to media reports, for the sherwani and turban clad
heroes, you have put in a whopping two and a half million pounds to
make the video.
Your movie, Singh is Kinng is slated to release this week,
after many a round of editing, re-shooting and re-editing to satisfy
Sikh fears and anger as much as possible.
 The
film is is supposed to project the Sikhs. Having read about the
movie and having talked to those who previewed it, (in any case,
there is nothing much to be seen in one Hindi movie from the other)
I can safely say that it is yet another Hindi song-dance movie, with
all the typical masala thrown in. It attempts to glorify the Sikh
character and their history through songs in English, Hindi and
Punjabi, calling the Sikhs, rulers of the world and extolling their
qualities of large-heartedness, godliness and sacrifice. When it
does so in the midst of semi-clad women, it trivialises the whole
history and character of the Sikhs.
I would like to apprise you that the SGPC has left it to the
people of
Punjab to decide after a high-level team had viewed the movie in
Mumbai recently and decided not to make an issue of it. The DSGMC
has demanded the withdrawal of anti-Sikh promos and urged the Delhi
government to intervene.
In one of your interviews, you have said that the the turban
worn by the international artist -Snoop Dogg is not a Sikh turban
but a symbolic one. I am aware of a large number of
Hollywood actors
–heroes and heroines wearing turbans in Hollywood movies. What you
have failed to realize is that when the whole film is Sikh-based,
then to say that the turban is a symbolic one is nothing but being
insensitive.
I believe that till the Indian film industry understands the
sensitivities of ethnic peoples and regional groups, liberty in the
name of creativity will be the norm and not the exception.
I am acutely aware that having a plethora of Sikh artistes
with unSikh faces dotting the Punjabi film and music industry, the
job of Sikh bodies and that of the concerned Sikhs becomes even more
difficult, whilst dealing with Bollywood where nuances of identity
and sensitivity are lost in the world of crass commercial gains.
Though I must add that “two wrongs do not make a right.”
It would be in the fitness of things for you to start a
campaign for appropriate portrayal of Sikhs in the Indian film
industry after your experience of this movie.
Whatever your movie may represent, the devout Sikh
appropriately sums up the situation saying, “there may be many
Kinngs around, but it is very difficult to find a Singh.”
Rab Rakha.
Jagmohan Singh
Jagmohan Singh is a commentator based in
Ludhiana. He may be
contacted at jsbigideas@gmail.com
6 August, 2008
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